Overview

This book contains never-seen photos of Black men working as Firefighters in Chicago. News clippings involving Chicago Fire Department historical events from about 1872 to 1972 laid a foundation for these brave and courageous members' testimony. It contains information about the foundation of the city and the role Black Chicagoans played in its rise as a sanctuary city and a catch-all for Blacks migrating from the south looking for better housing, and an opportunity to participate in the public educational system. It identifies those members who put their lives on the line for the public good and well-being. Chicago's newspapers such as the Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago Dailey News, Chicago Sun Times, and the Chicago Defender. These archival stories and photos share a once-in-a-lifetime historical view of Black Chicago for the historical period mentioned. Blacks have been a part of Chicago since the founding father, Jean Baptist Point Du Sable, who was identified as Chicago's first citizen from 1790 until 1800. During Chicago's growth period between 1835-1870 all Blacks who migrated to Chicago did not live in Chicago, but in many cases settled in unincorporated areas outside Chicago. Robbins and Phoenix are both located in rural farm areas. Blacks were not confined to Shantytown but were limited to low-income and poor housing community areas of the city.

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9798989297009

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"Dekalb E. Walcott, Jr. was born in Great Lake, Illinois on October 20, 1954. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from South Shore High School in 1972. He attended Southern Illinois University for two years before joining the USAF. Dekalb joined the Chicago Fire Department in November 1978, serving 31 years (Nov. 16, 1978-Nov. 14, 2009) before retiring with the rank of Battalion Chief.Following retirement, Dekalb took up various projects such as Executive Secretary of the African American Firefighter's Museum to collect, preserve, exhibit, and document African American artifacts and literature that tell the story of Black Firefighters in Chicago. Dekalb is most proud of discovering his family Genealogy and locating his father's side of the family, which has been one big secret because of name changes and the trauma that has followed his own family and other Black Families in America. Through DNA testing he was able to locate family members dating back to the 1700s with names such as Colbert, Taylor, Love, Crawford, and Hayes all having a relationship with the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Cherokee Indian Nations. Dekalb is currently researching further details for his third book, a memoir.In 2019, Dekalb Walcott published his first book, ""Engine 21, First Black Fire Company in Chicago established December 21, 1872."" ""Engine 21, 100 Years of Public Service"" is Dekalb Walcott's second published book."

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